


Exposure

by unicyclehippo



Category: Carmilla (Web Series)
Genre: F/F, Hogwarts AU, dad hollis, possibly ot3
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-01-15
Updated: 2015-02-11
Packaged: 2018-03-07 16:55:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,468
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3177363
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/unicyclehippo/pseuds/unicyclehippo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Laura Hollis is sixth year student and editor/sole contributor to the secret and widely popular school newsletter aptly named The Newsletter. Writing under the mysterious pseudonym - The Reporter - she works to provide a newsletter free of the influence of the staff. The Newsletter includes everything from helpful homework hints to student submitted stories to lost and found to the suspicious goings on of missing students and reports of dark magic. And when someone who shouldn't have access to it gets hold of The Newsletter and finds that their activities are less private than they had originally thought, and that The Reporter knows far more than they should, Laura may just be the next target.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. And So We Begin

_A Word from the Editor: Welcome back for another magical year at Hogwarts, students. We have an exciting year ahead of us! As always, we are starting off with Helpful Hints for Firsties - but don't worry, no matter how old you are, these hints are for you too! First, we discuss the best ways to remember passwords, there's a fold out map that your prefects will help you charm to get you to the Great Hall no matter where you are in the castle, and more. Look out every week for the Newsletter and your submissions can be sent through the Hogwarts Floo to 'Newsletter Office - 307'. It is, as always, locked to people and animals and anything larger than a box of Honeydukes chocolate (hint hint). Looking forward to reading some new articles from all of you. -R_

* * *

 

“And you’re certain you have everything you need?”

“ _Positive_ , dad.” It was the same every year. She was in her sixth now and really, honestly, he should know by now that – oh who was she kidding? It was a part of who he was. He was always going to worry about her. And he was going to say as much in three, two, one—

“I know, I know,” he said to her exasperation. “I just worry.” He pushed her hair behind her ear and cupped her cheek with a hand that smelled like their soap and a smile that was equal parts worry and pride. “I’m always going to worry about you, kid.”

“I know. But honest – I’ve got all my books, enough paper to write you a letter every day for seven more years, I’ve got spare money, my bear spray,” he gave an approving grunt – it was a long story but he kind of thought there were a heck of a lot of bears roaming around the Forest and, well, it was sort of her fault but at least she hadn’t told him anything about what one could typically expect to find in the Forbidden Forest so that was a win for the books – and she continued. “I’ve got my wand,” she said quietly, patting the holster on her wrist, “Cat,” an agitated _mrow_ rose up from the travelling cage on top of her trunk, “and I promise I’ll be safe.”

“I know one thing you don’t have.”

“Dad, no,” she frowned, “I _promise_. I’ve got everything on the list!” She pulled out the paper – running her finger down the column of neatly checked boxes next to each item – and he laughed.

“Laura, just look.”

He was holding in his hands a small box wrapped in plain brown paper. “Sorry about the wrapping. It’s not really my thing.” They paused a moment. It had always been her mother’s thing – she liked neat wrapped and bows and ribbons and confetti, anything that made something fantastic or pretty. He liked practical and neat and he would swear up and down every birthday and Christmas and anniversary that if he hadn’t at least been able to _that_ , she would have divorced him.

“Dad?”

“Go on, kid.” He pushed the box into her hands and, with nothing left to distract him, he scratched the back of his neck and shifted his weight on his feet. “I, uh, look. I’m not great with all this, this _magic_ , stuff.” He lowered his voice a little, glancing at the business men who passed them in their neat suits. Business men looking nothing like those odd men and women dressed in robes and hats and colour and sparkles following them around like accessories in the wizarding world. “It still makes me a little nervous but I’m working on it.”

“I know you are.” Laura’s smile stretched at the corners of her mouth to a wide grin and he looked down at her with undisguised affection.

“Yes, well, I thought that, oh just hurry up and open it already.” She huffed but obediently slid finger under paper, lifting it away from –

“Oh. Oh merlin. Dad?” She glanced from box to father and back to box. “You _didn’t_.” She followed the aghast statement with indiscernible noises that bubbled right out of her and her father frowned.

“These are good sounds you’re making. Right?”

“ _Yes_ ,” she squealed, near enough rupturing his eardrums. And then bruising him when she tackled him in a hug and squeezed tight. “Oh my _god_ , Dad!” She bounced away and told him very seriously – the look slightly undermined by the way she clutched longingly at the box – “You didn’t have to do this.”

“Yeah, yeah. But I’m your father and I thought that, well,” he cleared his throat and scanned the crowd but no one seemed to be paying them much attention. “Maybe if you sent home some of those fancy moving pictures for your old man then I would get used to it. Plus, I’d like to know what you kids are getting up to at that school of yours.”

Laura beamed at him and down at the camera – the newest version, that proudly proclaimed in letters that swept through the colour spectrum, _NO NEED FOR CHARMS!_ and promised to instantly animate the images. She bounced in place. After a time, he took pity on her since she couldn’t seem to manage any more words around the smile that overwhelmed her face.

“Alright then, kid. Time to go. It’s twenty to eleven and you’ll want to find someone to help you with your trunk.” He ushered her to the wall where he knew she would sink into the brickwork and disappear. It made him feel sick every time, though he suspected at least some of that had to do with the completely normal aspect of his little girl going somewhere he couldn’t follow. And protect her. “Make _sure_ that you ask for help,” he reminded her. “Because we don’t want last years incident to repeat itself.”

“That was an accident.”

“An accident easily avoidable if you would just let someone-“

“Dad!”

“Your arm was bruised for a week. LaFontaine told me.”

“ _LaFontaine_ ,” she growled, already planning her revenge.

“Yep. Speaking of, where are they?”

“I’m still angry with them about that.” Laura huffed. “And they came early because Perry is a prefect again and they wanted to help her set up.”

“Ah, young love.” He fluttered his eyelashes and she supressed a grin. She was still supposed to be angry. Don’t break Laura. Don’t break. “And you shouldn’t be angry about that,” he waved it away. “You should be angry that they taught me how to send a Yeller-“

“Howler and _no they didn’t_.” Laura grabbed his sleeve, eyes wide. “Did they?”

“Oh yes they did. You’d better stay out of trouble otherwise I will abuse the Owl Mail and breakfast, lunch, and dinner you’ll hear what I have to say about your shenanigans. Got it?”

“Got it,” she grumbled.

“That goes for not keeping your old man updated. I want one letter a week – at _least_. Yes?”

“Yes Dad.” Under her breath, she added, “ _but none from LaFontaine anymore_.”

“Nah, they’ll find a way,” he said, proving that dads had uncanny hearing when it came to things children didn’t want them to hear, and he squeezed her shoulder. Deep breath. Time for her to go. He could do this. “Have a great time, Laura.”

Any annoyance bled out of her and, after nudging her trolley right to the edge of the wall, she threw herself at him again, kissing his cheek, ignoring the prickle. She pressed her face hard into his shoulder and breathed in – last time she would get to see him for a while. She ignored the swooping of her stomach because otherwise she would never let him go and she really did have to go to the train now. “Bye Dad,” she murmured, squeezing once more.

He patted her back and set her down. “See you soon, Laura.”

It was hard to watch her disappear through the wall – deep breaths, he had to remind herself, it was normal, it was fine, she was going to be fine – and the stayed there, waiting, just in case she had forgotten something and had to come back out. He waited for the clock to strike eleven and then he thought he might, very faintly, have heard the whistle of a train departing the station. That was his cue to push away from the pillar and return to his car.

It would be a lie to say that he didn’t sigh at least three times and check his wallet to make sure that the most recent photo he had of Laura was still there (in case he needed to make LOST flyers) before he drove himself home. And home, home was a little empty when he got there and the lack of Laura let memories and sadness creep in where her sunny demeanour and perpetual loud clattering usually kept it out. But he had six years of dealing with it under his belt since she had started at Hogwarts so he turned on his music, scooped up his favourite pictures of Laura and his late wife and set them on his desk before he buried himself in work. Mrs LaFontaine would be over that night to make sure he had food in the house and he hadn’t planned to work himself into an early grave while Laura was away. No doubt she would try to involve him in the _community_.

He shuddered – please not bingo again – and turned the image of his wife on the desk so he could see her while he worked.

“She’s gone back to school today,” he found himself saying quietly after an unproductive morning. He tapped his pen. “I’ve given her everything I can, Lucy, but we miss you.” He cleared his throat of sadness and smiled. Work was discarded for the time being in favour of telling his wife about their latest misadventures in Diagon Alley and – “of course _you_ would have know all this stuff but it’s still new to me and I didn’t realise that you actually had to scoop frog spleens into your own container so there I am in the store and poor Laura, I must have been embarrassing her so badly though I maintain that as my right, she was trying to push me out of the store because there I was frozen in the aisle and staring at all these _eyeballs_ and _blood_ and _nail clippings_ ” – and how diligent Laura had been with her self defense classes that summer and how she had read all of her textbooks and taken extracurricular Chemistry and Math with their neighbour at the summer school – “you couldn’t pay me to try and learn that, Lucy, but there was our daughter pouring over textbooks bigger than she was and looking like she enjoyed it.” He grunted. “Tells me it makes her brain hurt but it’s interesting and LaFontaine can’t stop smiling when they go so she says it’s worth it.” He grunted again. “That’s all you. Your sweetness. You’d be really proud of her,” he told her and, letting himself think for a brief moment that the woman nodded and smiled back at him from the picture frame, he bent over the stack of papers on his desk and got to work.

* * *

 

"Morning, Hollis."

"LaF."

"What's with the grumpy attitude? Don't I get a hug?"

"You're lucky we aren't at school yet or I would  _curse_ you to Hogsmeade and back. You taught my dad how to send a Howler?"

"Oh." LaFontaine grinned. "That."

"You didn't," Perry scolded, turning to them with a little frown. 

"Look, the guy wanted to know about the Owl Mail. So I started telling him about how it worked and told him I would send a weightless box so he could send packages to Laura and then he wanted to know about the different kinds of mail and it just slipped out, okay?"

"No! Not okay! Now if I don't write to him, he's going to send me Howlers and it's going to be embarrassing and people are going to think I'm some kid and-"

"People like Danny?" LaFontaine interjected. "Because if you don't want her to think you're a kid, you might want to stop having a tantrum. She's coming this way."

Laura flung herself into the seat opposite LaFontaine and ran a hand quickly through her hair. Perry gave her a helpful nod and a thumbs up. LaFontaine peeled a chocolate frog wrapper from Laura's robe. 

"Hey all," Danny greeted, shock of red hair announcing her simultaneously. "Perry, you're still a prefect right?" She smiled widely at the tight nod and pleased smile she received. "Oh great." When Danny shifted to move further into the carriage, Laura gasped.

"Oh merlin.  _Danny_. Why didn't you write to us?"

"Huh?" LaFontaine shared a confused look with Perry, who shrugged, but Laura had already leapt up to hug their friend. 

She pointed to the badge on Danny's chest. "She's Head Girl!"

"It's not a big deal," the taller girl tried to wave away but none of the three were buying it. So she let herself grin and she touched it, letting the badge catch the sun. "Okay, yeah, it's pretty great, isn't it?"

"Pretty great? This is amazing! This is wonderful! It is _such_ a big deal," Laura gushed excitedly, hugging her again. She leapt back, putting a whole yard of space between them, when Danny's hand settled on her shoulder. "Oh, I'm sorry. Personal space and all," she said while blushing. "I'm just,  _so_ thrilled for you. This is such a great opportunity and you are absolutely the right choice for the job." After a moment of Danny grinning down at her, Laura blushed again because - oh merlin what was she doing just standing there and smiling at the other girl? She was making such a fool of herself so she ducked her head and tucked her hair behind her ear and plopped down into her seat again. "Did you, umm, maybe want to stay with us for the ride? We bought candy," Laura said, gesturing to their small hoard of goodies.

"Oh, thanks, but I have to go grab all the prefects and make sure they're ready for the meeting. Speaking of, ten minutes Perry. First carriage. Yeah?"

"I will be there," Perry assured the other girl. 

"Great. But Laura," Danny said, and Laura swore for a moment that the train slowed and the whole world felt like jelly around her because Danny Lawrence was looking at her with those bright blue eyes and her smile and she just looked like sunshine and Laura couldn't make herself blink and miss a second of it. "Thanks for the invite," she said lightly. "Maybe we can sit together at dinner or breakfast this week?"

"Yeah. Yeah, totally." She hoped her blustering confidence - god this girl made her stomach turn over in such a good way - didn't make her look too goofy or lame. "Sounds great."

"Okay great." Danny tapped the doorway and grinned at Laura once more before she disappeared down into the hallway.

Laura let out her breath in a great gush and flopped against the back of her seat, almost sliding right down to the floor. She groaned and covered her too-hot face with her hands. 

"You alright there, Hollis?" LaFontaine nudged her knee and Laura groaned again. 

"I'm still angry at you," she previewed her statement, "but tell me I'm not an idiot and Danny freakin' Lawrence was smiling at  _me_."

"Danny Lawrence was smiling at you," her two friends said in unison. "And you're not  _always_ an idiot," LaF finished, with their typical cheeky smile. "Also, Danny is coming back this way so you might want to sit up."

That was Perry's cue to leave and she brushed down her robes with careful hands, touched LaFontaine's hand gently - which Laura wisely didn't comment on and instead interested herself with the view rushing past - and reminded them to throw out all of their rubbish and please, to not eat all of the candy otherwise they would have no room for the Sorting Feast and they would make themselves ill. 

They divvied up the pile into two as soon as Perry was gone and Laura put aside her grievances. They'd spent a whole sixteen hours apart and she needed to know everything that had happened. 

"Nothing happened!" LaFontaine denied. "I just, you know, came to help Perry out with all her prefect duties." They shuffled their chocolate frogs in random checkerboard patterns and grinned. "She's really proud she's prefect again."

"As if they would choose someone else. She's the best prefect the school has ever had."

"Well yeah but she's still thrilled about it." They lifted their shoulders in a shrug. "I tried to tell her that but she said something about  _one must always work harder to learn new skills and perform better than they did the day before_. Or something like that." Laura had no doubt that was, word for word, exactly what Perry had said. "Anyway, how's your dad?"

"He's good." Laura handed over her new gift for her friend to examine, which elicited the appropriate oohs and ahs. "He has a hard time letting me go every year after..." LaF knew Laura well enough to know that she didn't want a hug or any reassuring words so they just shifted their foot so it was resting against Laura's and they waited until the smaller girl cleared her throat and forced a smile. "Umm. Oh and he missed you." LaF grinned down at their pile, pleased. "You're on letter probation since you and my dad seem to get on entirely too well but I guess you can add stuff to my letters if you want to."

"Cool, cool. And hey, Hollis, I wouldn't worry too much. My mother has something planned for every night of the week for the whole _semester_ , I kid you not. I saw the calendar myself. You know how relentless she can be," they both grimaced good-natured grimaces, knowing first hand the force of nature their mother was, and LaF shrugged. "He'll have to say yes to something."

"Good." Laura held up a cauldron cake and made a face. "Trade you for some of your Whizzing Fizzes?"

"Done."


	2. Arrivals, Bets, and Chocolate

_A Word from the Editor: As always, the first week is a time of settling in and making yourself at home. It can be frightening to move outside your comfort zone and here at Hogwarts you’re away from your home and your family (perhaps for the first time). The stairs move, you aren’t quite sure where your classes are, and maybe you got so lost and turned around that you didn’t make it to the Great Hall in time for breakfast. It’s a struggle we’ve all been through._

_You may need some support as you adjust. You may not. Everyone’s learning journey is different! If you do, your Head of House, prefects, and the Head Boy and Head Girl are wonderful resources. (Just make sure that your shirt is tucked in and you haven’t jinxed anyone lately when you go to talk to them.) Owl Mail, if you don’t have your own owl, is only two knuts a delivery and one sickle, seven knuts for a term. You can use it to send and receive letters as well as to buy anything you’ve forgotten, misplaced, or to buy a special someone a special gift. Diagon Dailley delivers catalogues upon request. (If the gift is for your favourite Editor, I accept gifts from Honeydukes and Wizard Wheezes. Nothing that can’t fit through the fireplace please. And please, let’s not have a repeat of the birthday disaster of 2014. NO ANIMALS.)_

_Finally, and importantly, inter-house unity is_ cool _. If you can see yourself studying/practising/teasing the giant squid with someone from another House then go for it! (Disclaimer: please do not tease the giant squid, it is old and powerful and holds a grudge. The example was used purely for effect.)_

_That’s all from me this week, gentle readers. Don’t forget to look out for next weeks issue of the Newsletter – available for the low, low price of two knuts – and send in your stories and worries. –R_

_In this weeks Newsletter: Which Witch and Wizard to Admire (p. 2); How to Get that Matchstick Silver and Pointy (p. 3-4); Ghosts! Ahh! (p. 5-7); A Tentative Stair Schedule Mon-Fri (p. 8); Trick Steps, Stink Pellets, Puking Pastels and How to Avoid being PRANKED! (p. 9-10); Lost and Found (p. 11); Clubs and Teams at Hogwarts (p. 12)_

* * *

Laura hesitated the way she always did when the carriages arrived. They were there to carry her up to the school and she knew that she couldn’t step into the small boats with the even smaller little children but she wanted to. She didn’t like the carriages. The wheels always looked too flimsy. And what was the purpose of the gold trim? It wasn’t protective or helpful in anyway. If the carriage broke, it would just be a broken carriage with a bit of gold on it. And she didn’t like –

She kept her eyes on the ground. That was the way to deal with it. Footsteps had churned and pitted the dirt into a path in front of her and she had to keep her eyes on it because rolling her ankle was not the most favourable way to start a term. It was only when she was a foot or two away from the carriage and the steps that she looked up at her friends’ urgings.

“The Sorting will start soon, Laura.”

“Yeah, come on Hollis. Time’s a tickin!”

She had to climb into the carriage then and her eyes darted to the side and she moved quickly to face the back, nudging LaFontaine across with a smile because though she would prefer to see the path – unsteady, rocky, no doubt full of pitfalls and other danger – she didn’t want to see gaunt heads on arched necks that showed the bumps and dips of spines and she didn’t want to see dark wings folded against dark sides.

Fingers clenched tight on the edge of her seat, Laura smiled and laughed when Perry told her how her mother had near enough fainted at the appearance of LaFontaine’s owl.

“Well how was I supposed to know that she’d be awake at five in the morning?”

“She’s rather particular about some things and rising with the sun is one of them.”

“Oh so that’s where you get it from,” Laura jibed and grinned all the wider when LaFontaine nudged her. “And the sun does _not_ come up at five.”

“It does. We just can’t see it.”

“Clouds,” was LaFontaine’s contribution and for some reason the single word made Perry giggle and the sound, and the sight of LaFontaine almost melting into their seat, sent Laura into a bout of near silent laughter. And again when Perry flushed pink and covered her mouth.

“Do the impression,” LaFontaine urged Perry, who shook her head no.

“Impression?” Laura asked. The road fell out from underneath one of the wheels, a rock, no doubt, and LaF and Perry rolled with the movement with barely a blink and Laura let out her breath in a slow rush, fingers tightening just that tiny bit more. She blinked any sign of nerves off her face and smiled at Perry.

“Of her mother.” LaF turned pleading eyes on their friend, who sighed.

“Alright. But this is the last time,” she said sternly. Laura and LaF nodded quickly. Eyes closed, Perry whispered a word so quietly that neither of her friends could hear it and her face shimmered a little before settling in a rather unsettling way to resemble a woman similar to her but older. Her hair drifted to stand on end – red curls straightening into a bristling caricature of fright and she opened her eyes wide and shrieked comically high, raising her hands. “Lola what on earth is this, this _creature_ doing in my home? _”_ LaFontaine made a crashing noise out of the corner of their mouth, for Laura’s benefit, and Perry reacted with another shriek. “My _vase_!”

As she calmed herself, Laura commented, “Well that doesn’t sound as bad as your mother.” LaFontaine cringed. “What did she say when she saw your eyebrows?”

“What about your eyebrows?”

“Nothing! Nothing happened to my eyebrows!” LaFontaine hung their head. “There may have been a _slight_ combustion issue with one of the experiments Hollis and I were working on.”

Slight, they said, nothing to worry about, they said, as if when a number of the ingredients had unforeseen interactions and had covered the entire basement with cauldron shrapnel it was nothing out of the ordinary. Laura had never been more glad that her friend’s mother insisted on everything dragonhide as a precaution. _Everything_ dragonhide. Super heat resistant and invulnerable clothing was kind of a must around LaFontaine and their potions.

Finally, they came to a stop outside the gates and Laura was the first out. She climbed over both of her friends legs and laughed back over her shoulder when they grumbled at her. She shook the blood back into her fingers and walked away from the carriages without a backward glance, pretending that, like her friends, she didn’t see anything leading the carriages either.

Her feet stopped her a few paces into the Great Hall. Perry and LaFontaine caught up to her there and she pretended she didn’t see the way Perry’s hand slipped into LaFontaine’s.

“Oh my,” the prefect whispered by her side. Laura would have smiled at Perry – she did, a moment or two later – but for that moment, she was entranced.

The Great Hall was more stunning than ever. The summer holidays were wonderful and fun and much needed but the return to Hogwarts was…she rolled her eyes at her own thought. It was magical.

Candles floated part way between the heads of those below and the stars they were trying to mimic above. The impressively long tables were clean and strong and empty and the benches sturdy beneath the hordes of children. They found their seats – LaFontaine shrugging and giving Perry and Laura a half smile as they trudged over to the Ravenclaw table (though Laura noted they were met with smiles and two of their housemates sliding to the sides to make room), Perry and Laura finding seats together at their table – and as Perry chatted to the other prefect, Laura let her gaze drift slowly around the hall.

Far down the front was the teachers’ table. There were some old faces, others new, and she grinned when she saw that Professor Longbottom had what looked to be a cactus, an oozing cactus, next to him. And next to that, the flying coach looked a little sick. The Headmistress sat looking carved from stone in the centre. And right down the end, to the right, was a smooth face, not young but without lines nonetheless and with eyes so dark Laura felt lost in them, like she was drowning, sinking, being pulled into them and there was no escape, no light, no way to pull herself out and she was losing the will to do it the longer she stared. That head turned towards her and tilted slightly and she was standing up and then her thighs were banging against the table and the pain brought her back to herself.

Perry was frowning at her with concern. “Laura, are you alright?”

“Uh. Yeah. Yes, I’m fine.”

A kindly pat to her arm and Perry turned away again. Laura felt her heart rate settle and slid her hands under the table to grip tight onto her knees, fingers shaking. She didn’t dare look back to the teacher’s table and she sank instead into the cacophony of student whispers all around her. It was the strangest sound – part quiet, part deafening, all unintelligible – and it soothed her. Her eyes flicked back to the table, to the woman, but she wasn’t looking at Laura anymore and she put the incident out of her mind.

“Welcome,” came the sudden and booming voice of the Headmistress. Attention on her, her voice dropped slightly but no part of her softened. Stone woman, seriously. “Welcome to another year at Hogwarts.” A slight pause then as she surveyed the mass of students and then, without a smile or any real change in expression, she said “Bring in the first years.”

Laura had to wonder if the woman ever smiled. “Well, she’s eloquent and pleasant as always,” Laura joked to Perry, who offered her a distracted smile, neck craning to watch the Deputy Headmaster disappear out the side door. And when Laura turned away, the Headmistress’s gaze was fixed on her, making her shiver. But she couldn’t possibly have heard Laura from her place amongst the rest of the sixth years, couldn’t possibly see her amidst the mess of identical black and yellow robes, way way back in the Hall…could she? Laura offered up a weak smile to the woman but she turned away without seeming to see it or to care.

Laura made a note never to make eye contact with any teacher again and to never say anything about the Headmistress. Just in case.

“They’ll be getting the speech,” Perry whispered, excited. “I wonder how many of them will be in Hufflepuff?” She patted Laura’s arm and then gripped it tight. “What do you think?”

“Well, it’s the best house,” Laura said, “so probably all of them.”

“Oh hush. All houses are equal.” And of course Laura knew that but she also saw the beaming smile that overtook Perry’s face at the thought of so many teeny tinies coming into the Hufflepuff common room and her showing them their rooms and teaching them how not to get lost. She really was going to be a great prefect. “I think there will be ten. No, eleven.” Perry nodded, face bright. “Eleven.”

A slow, complete silence fell then as all eyes watched the great doors, waiting for them to open. Laura felt the same anticipation overtake her. The children would be gathering there, nervously tugging at their robes, shuffling their feet. No doubt there would be one or two from wizarding families who would be scaring the snot out of the others with tales of tests and trolls. But then the doors would open and they would walk the long walk down the centre of the hall, all eyes on them, and they would be faces with an old, grimy, frayed hat.

First came the A’s. Then the B’s, and C’s and all the way through to Z. All little eleven year olds stepping hesitantly up to the stool, the severe Professor Baum calling their names in the same flat tone and dropping the hat on their head. Laura could see, even at a distance, the way each child flinched or held steady when that voice spoke right into their heads – usually they were muggleborn and wizarding respectively – and the smile that spread over their faces when one of the houses was called out. The way that smile that grew when they, each and every one of them, were applauded. The way they moved slowly and then faster to the table and hands clapped them on the back and they were welcomed. She had to smile.

“I should go and welcome them,” Perry murmured to her when the last child was sorted and Laura nodded.

“Are you going to eat with them?”

“Yes, I think so.”

“Have fun, Prefect Perry.” Laura saluted her friend, who beamed at the reminder of her title, and sat by herself, jittering a little, stomach growling, waiting for the headmistress to make her speech already so they could _eat_.

“The Sorting is over,” Headmistress Cochran said, “and I have a few more words before the feast may begin.” Laura groaned – there was that look again, and again she froze because _seriously_? Could this woman hear _everything_? Cochran moved along at her unaffected pace. “I am pleased to announce,” she said, her normal drab tone doing a great job of disguising that pleasure, “that we have a new professor in our midst. Professor Demir.” She gestured to her left, to the woman with the deep dark eyes, who inclined her head. “We also bring back to the curriculum Ghoul Studies, instructed by Professor Demir. She is still taking applicants. Fifth years and above, _only_. Divination will be held in the South Tower this term after an unforseen incident involving a rather permanent cloud. Finally, some rules we all must follow to have a safe year here at Hogwarts. First, as always, the Forbidden Forest remains forbidden.” The Headmistress’s gaze slid towards the Ravenclaw table, all the students either smiling innocently toward her or remaining stoically blank-faced. “Second, any rattling in the dungeons is most likely Peeves or one of the other ghosts. On the chance that it is not, it is recommended you depart the area. Third, any use of contraband items will results in immediate detention. A full list of these items will be posted in each common room as well as in the caretaker’s office. Ignorance of what is on the list is, therefore, unacceptable. That is all.”

A wave of her hands and the feast, all glorious scents and sights and tastes, appeared before the students in true magical fashion.

Laura didn’t remember all that much of that first evening. The journey, the sorting, and the feast took what energy she had and she remembered falling onto her dinner with delight, she remembered a brief flash of panic when she overheard one of her year mates discussing the holiday work they had for Ancient Runes – she’d totally forgotten, which meant that classes hadn’t even begun and she was woefully behind. She remembered the candles burning themselves to small stubs, remembered Perry leading them all cheerfully back to the common room with a happy “Come along, dears” looking every bit the mother hen with her first years – eleven in total – toddling in a line behind her. She remembered sleepy goodnights and casting her normal charms over her bed as she yawned before slipping down, down into blissful sleep.

* * *

“It’s eight fifteen,” a low, soothing voice said by Laura’s ear. “It’s eight fifteen. It’s eight fifteen.”

She woke slowly, stretching her arms above her head and snuggling down into her pillow. She always wished she could take the pillow home with her. Hogwarts had ridiculously soft pillows and she could just sink into them happily and never-

“It’s eight sixteen,” that voice said again and lightning panic shot through her. “It’s eight sixteen.”

“No, no, no, no,” she groaned, throwing herself out of her bed. Time for a shower? No. She sniffed at her collar and debated for a quick moment whether she should make time. Cleaning charm? She winced – they weren’t made for bodies but it would have to do because she _really_ didn’t have time for a shower and so she withstood the charm as it scrubbed at her and then she scrambled to dress and collect her things so she could make it to breakfast before the house elves stopped replenishing the plates. Hectic was the name of the game – shoe, shoe, where was her _shoe?_ – and when she did make it there, a little late, tie loose, LaFontaine extended their hand over the table and twitched their fingers.

“Come on. Pay up. I told you she’d be late.”

Their poor victim. LaF was capable of working through some seriously impressive mental calculations very quickly and Laura could have told them never to bet against LaF, if she had been there. Which she wasn’t, and it would have defeated the purpose if she was, really. She shook that thought out of her head and breathlessly moved to join them. LaFontaine’s victim reached into her pocket and flicked a silver coin over to them before she turned to face Laura and – oh.

The tall, the gorgeous, incredible, brilliant, amazing, just really, really _great_ Danny – Danny who was the effortless centre of everything, captain of her Quidditch team, top marks, current duelling champion, the girl with the smile like summer and eyes that made Laura want to turn herself inside out (but, like, in a good way, you know?) – was sitting at her table.

The realization made Laura stumble and her cheeks, already flushed from her rush, pinked further. She ran her hands through her hair a few times, making sure it wasn’t still a sleep-knotted mess, and she licked her lips. Her time to shine. Don’t mess it up, Hollis.

“Danny, hey.” Smooth. Nice. “What are you doing here?”

“Apparently misjudging how excited you are to be back. Oh, and getting hustled by LaFontaine,” Danny laughed. She swung one leg over the bench so she was straddling it, facing Laura, and she took in the ruffled girl from the top of her head (her hair _was_ still sleep-ruffled) to the tips of her toes, one with laces dragging on the ground. She grinned. Did this girl know how adorable she was, or was it just effortless for her? “Perry invited me. I think she wanted to talk about the prefect duties but a firstie needed her attention.” She nodded down the table and Laura turned to follow the gesture right to the end of the table where a first year was crying into his porridge.

“Oh no. What happened?”

“I think he’s just homesick,” LaF said around their toast.

“Oh.” Laura frowned. She took a step towards the boy and Perry, but then she paused, hesitated, gaze flickering to Danny. “Umm. Give me a second?” she asked the older girl, who nodded easily.

“I’ll be here.”

“Great.” Laura walked backwards a few steps, smiling, before she turned to power walk to the end of the table. She took the time to tamp down on the butterflies stampeding in her stomach.

“Focus,” she told herself sharply, quietly, as she marched away. “She’s just a really, really nice person. And you need to focus on your classes this year. And your projects. You don’t have time to get all wound up for her. Even if she is smart and wonderful and funny and-“ she shook her head. “Focus.”

LaFontaine wondered how oblivious Laura was and whether it could be scientifically calculated. They had been on the receiving end of a whole bunch of Laura rants – ‘Danny is _so_ lovely’, ‘Danny is _so_ talented and amazing and smart and she’s _such_ a great Quidditch player’, ‘Danny is _so_ far out of my league’ accompanied by much sighing and eyes so full of sparkling admiration they made LaFontaine itch – and it escaped them how their friend couldn’t see that Danny was equally infatuated. Watching Laura was pretty much Danny’s all time favourite activity. And watching Laura soothe a crying first year, kneeling next to him and rubbing his shoulder carefully, looking up at him with a face that was open and warm and caring, was probably making her day. LaFontaine snuck a peek at the Gryffindor.

Danny’s eyes were, sure enough, fixed on Laura. A faint smile curled the corners of her lips and, all in all, it was kind of sickening. And then LaFontaine thought of the jitters that started in their hands and caused wild rhythms in their heart each time they saw Perry and they thought maybe a little staring and a little infatuation wasn’t too bad on the lovesick scale.

But Perry was coming back, Laura close behind her, and so they lowered their glass with slightly more force than necessary and jolted Danny out of her staring and whatever daydream she had slipped into and mouthed ‘ _they’re coming_ ’.

Danny pretended she wasn’t embarrassed. Cleared her throat and slid back into her easy posture and easy smile when the girls returned. LaFontaine was envious of that ease. It was hard for them to pretend that Perry didn’t have an effect on them. Biologically. That was, heart rate, sweaty palms, jittering knees. They wiped their hands on their robes when Perry took her seat next to them and inched a tiny bit closer. They placed their hand flat on the bench and tried not to smile too widely when Perry placed hers precisely next to it. The whole of their pinkies were touching and it was kind of perfect.

“Hey. How was he?”

“Nothing a little chocolate couldn’t fix,” Laura told them.

“That was excellent thinking.” Prim, proper, and polite always, it was hard to tell that Perry was on the verge of sulking. _She_ was the prefect. _She_ was supposed to help her housemates. But on the other hand, Laura had been very kind and helpful and chocolate had been a wonderful idea and had brightened the boy immediately so she couldn’t begrudge him that. LaF lifted their pinkie, placed it over Perry’s and dragged it away slowly. Perry felt any nerves, any upset, slink right out of her with the gesture and she smiled down at her breakfast. “Do you always have chocolate on you?” Perry asked Laura.

The girl froze. “No?”

“I only ask because I was wondering what containment charm you’re using. It really is a very good idea to carry some for the first years. At least for the first few weeks of term. And the fourth years. They’ll be taking on boggarts and dementors at some point and it really would be a good idea,” she trailed off, fumbling one-handed in her bag for her notebook and scribbling the point to herself in neat writing. Her other hand never shifted from its place pressed against LaFontaine’s.

“You can use this charm,” LaF told her, leaning over to scribble left-handed (Merlin bless ambidexterity), “But Hollis doesn’t use one. She just eats the whole block before it has a chance to melt, don’t you?”

Laura flushed and sunk lower in her seat. LaF knew they were in for a hell of a scolding later – something along the lines of _in front of Danny? LaF, how_ could _you? –_ but it was so worth it.

“You know that you should really snack on something healthier, right?”

“I know. But it tastes so good,” Laura argued. Her logic was infallible. “And chocolate has good stuff in it too. Like…antioxidants?”

“That’s really only in dark chocolate. And that,” Danny said, pointing to the square in Laura’s hand, “is not dark chocolate.

“I believe in a healthy balance of each.”

“And by ‘healthy balance’ do you mean not healthy at all and balancing chocolate on top of more chocolate?” LaF asked, breaking the shy contact between the two girls to drag Laura’s heated glare their way. They gulped and decided then would be an excellent time to change the subject. “Er, anyway. Moving onto more important issues – what classes are you taking, Hollis? Let me see.” LaFontaine used their benched hand to push up – their pinkie was lucky enough to graze over Perry’s hand again and they smiled as they took the timetable Laura was handing them. “Lame, lame, lame, lame, lame – no potions?” They threw the paper back towards Laura. “I thought we were going to take potions together.”

Laura snatched up her paper from the table and smoothed it out. “There is nothing _lame_ about the classes I am taking, thank you very much.”

“Transfiguration, Charms,” Danny read over Laura’s shoulder. She didn’t notice how Laura tensed and held her breath, eyes wide. “Oh hey we have – oh, sorry.” She retreated a little when she turned to face Laura and realised their faces were closer than she had expected, her nose almost skimming Laura’s cheek.

“It’s fine,” Laura squeaked, hands pulling her timetable tight. “You were saying something?”

“Yeah.” Danny blinked. “Yeah, oh, we have Herbology together. Double on Monday.”

“Great.”

“Do you…want to be partners?” she asked and Laura forgot how to breathe but a helpful kick under the table to her shin prompted her to start again. And to talk.

“Yeah. Yes. That would be amazing. Amazing for study purposes, obviously. Because double the notes means less chance that we missed something. And it’s always great to have a friend in class with you so, umm,” Danny was nodding and smiling at her and listening and Laura knew she had nothing left to say so she gulped and turned away, staring intently down at her timetable. “I’m just going to write your name here,” she said weakly, pulling a pencil out to scribble Danny’s name next to all her Herbology classes. 

“Great. We can compare notes after class and have a study date sometime,” the taller girl said and grinned again when Laura just nodded quickly. Her cheeks were starting to hurt from all the smiling. Totally worth it though. A faint sound – a hum, a crackle – caught her attention and suddenly instead of a girl beside Laura, there was an empty space because Danny was literally leaping over the table to catch a boys ear between her forefinger and thumb and her wand was flung in the opposite direction, trying to get a clear shot at the sparking firework that had roared through the Hall but it was already frozen and falling – shattering, when it hit the ground – thanks to a freezing jinx. Laura slipped her wand back into her wrist holster and enjoyed the warm smile and appreciative nod Danny sent her way.

“She’s so cool,” Laura groaned when Danny was gone, dropping her head into arms crossed on the tabletop.

“Uh-huh.”

“She just,” Laura rolled her head to the side, eyed LaFontaine. “You saw that right? She leapt over the table. Just jumped right over it.”

“Yep. I saw it.”

Laura groaned again and pushed her face further into her arms. “I’m doomed.”

“Tell me about it,” LaFontaine agreed. They weren’t paying the slightest bit of attention to the red-headed fury dragging the boy away. They were busy comparing Laura’s timetable with their own. “We only have two classes together, Hollis. _Two_. We’ve had four every year – how are you going to survive without me?”

“I think I’ll be fine,” Laura mumbled into her hands.

“And neither of them are potions.”

“Again, I think I’ll be fine. You can keep all your mixing and goop and explosions to yourself. I’m going to be nice and safe in my classrooms.”

“An excellent plan. One you should endeavour to copy, LaFontaine,” Perry interjected, looking up from her notebook for the first time since they had really sat down to breakfast. “Oh look.” Perry pointed to one of Laura’s classes. “Ancient Runes. That sounds nice and safe. Why don’t you change over to that?” she suggested.

“It does sound nice and safe,” LaF agreed, laughing. “The worst you’ll get is a papercut. But, uh, speaking of…Laura? Why exactly are you taking Ancient Runes?”

“I’m learning ancient languages.”

“Obviously. Again, why?”

In an incredibly unsubtle move, Laura peeked up over her arms and checked to make sure that no one around them was listening. “I’m working on a bit of a side project.”

“Key word there being _side_ project, Hollis. Side projects don’t normally take over your studies.” They raised their eyebrows questioningly. “Is this to do with the newsletter?”

“No,” she murmured, again unsubtly watching for eavesdroppers. “And keep your voice down.”

“I cast a muffliato like, five minutes ago. Relax.” They frowned. “Wait – so this is like, a _side_ side project?”

“I guess. Technically.”

“Merlin, Hollis. How do you plan on single-handedly writing that thing, doing all your school work, _and_ doing whatever this is?”

She smiled weakly and lifted her shoulders in a shrug. “What can I say? I like a challenge.”

“You’re going to burn out by the second weekend.”

“Oh yeah?” Laura shot upright, mouth set in a stubborn line. “Bet I won’t.”

“Stakes?”

Laura grinned, a sneaky smirk of a grin that made LaFontaine narrow their eyes suspiciously. “Howlers. If I burn out, you get to write back to my dad and make up a story that will get him to send one. And if I win, I get to send one to your mom.”

“Deal.” LaFontaine snagged Laura’s hand and they shook once.

“What deal?” Danny asked, dropping back into her seat next to Laura.

“Oh, Danny, hey.” Laura tugged her hand back from LaF. “What happened to the boy you caught?”

“Hey. Gave him to Filch. What’s the deal?”

“What deal?”

“The deal I just saw you make with LaFontaine?”

“Oh. That deal. Right.” Laura’s hands twisted together and her eyes cut across to LaFontaine.

“Hollis here just bet that the sixth year work load _and_ her two side projects won’t make her burn out by second week.”

Danny plucked an apple from the fruit bowl in front of her and spun it between her fingers slowly, considering that with a frown. “Conditions?”

“If she needs to go to the Hospital Wing or take Pepper-Up Potion, if she falls asleep in one of her classes-“

“Hey! I always fall asleep in my morning class.”

“Okay fine. If she falls asleep _because of exhaustion_ ,” LaFontaine raised their eyebrows as if saying ‘better?’ and Laura shrugged. “Then she loses.”

Danny nodded. “What are the stakes?”

“Howlers.”

“Nice.” She eyed Laura sideways, a slow examination, before she nodded. “She’ll be okay.”

“Oh yeah? Willing to add to our bet?”

“I’m down.” Danny held out her hand. She paused before grabbing LaFontaine’s. “But my parents never send Howlers. They send politely worded letters full of disappointment.”

“Ouch. That’s almost worse.”

“Tell me about it.”

“Okay. So not Howlers for you. That’s alright.” LaFontaine grinned. “You can put in your broom.”

Before Laura could speak up, discourage Danny, tell her it really wasn’t worth it, she probably would burn out, honestly, please don’t do this, Danny was already reaching over the table and shaking their hand firmly.

“Deal.”

“Danny, you really don’t have to do that.” She ignored LaFontaine’s interjected of ‘uh, yes she does, she shook on it’ and her eyebrows pulled together worriedly. “I don’t want you to lose your broom!”

“Oh, I won’t.”

“You believe in me that much?” the smaller girl asked, and Danny laid her hand on Laura’s shoulder.

“Of course.” The smile they shared was quiet and shy and LaFontaine pretended to gag before they grabbed Perry’s hand and dragged her out of the Great Hall. Seeing them leave, Danny’s smile pushed further at the edges of her lips and overtook her, beaming down at Laura. “Also,” she added cheekily, “they didn’t say anything about outside help. There is no way I am losing my broom, Laura. I’ll help you.”

 

 


End file.
